Callitris columellaris description

Distribution of Callitris columellaris (Bowman and Harris 1995). Basemap from Expedia Maps.

Callitris columellaris F. Muell.

Common Names

Coast cypress pine, Bribie Island pine (Grodecki et al. 1996), white cypress pine.

Taxonomic notes

Syn: C. arenosa. C. intratropica is sometimes regarded as a variety of this species.

Description

Tree: Height to 10+ m, with spreading or erect branches (Harden 1990).
Leaves: Usually green, rarely glaucous, 1-3 mm long, dorsal surface not keeled (Harden 1990).
Cones: Solitary on slender fruiting branchlets, falling soon after maturity, ovoid to depressed-globose, to 20 mm in diameter (Harden 1990).
Cone scales: Thin, dorsal point absent or small and present below the apex, the alternate scales shorter and narrower, the larger scales angled, often sharply so, all separating almost to the base of the cone and often spaced widely at maturity; columella variable, often thick and angled, mostly 5-7 mm long (Harden 1990).

Range

Australia: NSW & Qld. "Grows on coastal sandy soils; north from Angourie" (Harden 1990); or, near the coast from Richmond River to Hervey Bay (Grodecki et al. 1996).

Big Tree

Oldest

Dendrochronology

Ethnobotany

Observations

In South Australia it is prevalent in the scenic Flinders Ranges where it is sometimes the dominant tree on rocky slopes and rises (Holliday and Hill 1974).

Remarks

Citations

Grodecki, Andy, Sylvia Willie and Matt Deshon. 1996. Queensland tree selector. Online database; these data cited at http://ocean.fit.qut.edu.au/tsm/html/treetext.html (22-Jan-2002).

Holliday, I. and R. Hill. 1974. A Field Guide to Australian Trees. Australia: Rigby.